29th Enfield Scouts: Group Newsletter 30
Dear Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Young Leaders, Parents, and Leaders,
Happy New Year!
All 3 sections have had an activity packed year with plenty of outdoor activities continuing through the winter months. Beavers that joined 2 years ago are rapidly reaching Cub age so our Cub pack is due to reach over 30 in the next few months. In January we welcome William, Maks, Joseph, Jules, Luke, Olivia and Ruby into the Cub pack.
Analysis of our attendance register reveals that we have provided 2,175 person sessions on Friday evenings in 2015 which equates to around 2,800 hours of Scouting fun (this does not include nights away experiences). Well done to all the leaders, young leaders, parents and helpers that have contributed to this monumental statistic.
Cub Centenary
During 2016 we celebrate the Centenary of the Cub section with various memorable activities in our programme including County Centenary Camp over the weekend of 17-19th June at Tolmers Activity Centre.
Term Dates for 2016
Spring Term:
8th January meetings commence.
19th February no meetings, ½ term.
18th March Last meetings term.
Summer Term:
15th April meetings commence.
3rd June no meetings, ½ term.
15th July last meetings of term.
Church Parades
We continue to have one parade each half term. Dates for this term are Sunday 10th January, and 13th March meeting at 9am in the Parish Centre, entrance to the right of the main building, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St George RC Church, London Road, Enfield. Full uniform to be worn with smart shoes and school trousers/skirts. Please make every effort to attend both these parades.
St Georges Day Parade
Sunday 24th April 2pm Enfield Town.
Advance notice, please put this in your diary now! every member of the group is expected to attend this parade. St George is the patron saint of Scouting and we all renew our promise on this occasion.
Group Calendar
Key dates are listed in our Google calendars which can be linked to a smartphone using the google icon:
http://www.29thenfield.org.uk/calendar/
Cub Leadership
Unfortunately Mustafa has moved away so is no longer able to help at Cubs. I would like to thank Mustafa for everything he has done for the group over the last few years. This leaves us with no full time uniformed leaders for the pack. I have offered to stand down from my role as your Group Scout Leader to become acting Cub Scout Leader until the end of July 2016 summer term. I am not prepared to take on the workload of 2 roles, so the group will have to function effectively without a Group Scout Leader (GSL). Each section will continue to function as a unit supported by the Group Executive Committee. I will no longer be able to monitor the GSL email inbox, so it is very important that all communications are addressed to your section leaders.
The Group needs to urgently recruit leaders if the cub pack is to continue beyond July 2016. Please see your section leader if you are able to help with Beavers, Cubs or Scouts or know anyone who may be interested. Excellent training is provided with uniform and out of pocket expenses reimbursed. This is good time to join the team as the Group has a strong leadership team supported by parents, helpers and Young Leaders. Being a uniformed leader is a fun and rewarding role with the opportunity to help our young people develop to their full potential in so many areas that the academic system does not cover.
Parent Help
A reminder that we do ask that Beaver and Cub parents sign up to help for 3 meetings a term to help with general supervision. Please use Online Scout Manager through your My.Scout account link to sign up for dates convenient for you. In case of any technical problem with this simply email your section leaders to volunteer. If there is insufficient response we will have to issue a rota which would not be able to guarantee convenient dates for parents.
Termly Subscriptions
Due to my change of role, there are no volunteers available to chase subs (which is extremely time consuming), so it is now up to parents to make sure they pay subscriptions promptly. You will receive system generated email requests for payment from the My.Scout system. Please mark these messages as important and do not ignore them. If subs remain unpaid by the 4th week of term you will be deemed to have left the group and your place will be offered to the next person on the waiting list. If there are any financial difficulties please speak promptly in confidence to a leader so we can come to a suitable arrangement. Thank you for your cooperation.
Emails and Communications
Reminder: Please direct all queries to your section leaders. They are contactable at
Note that the GSL email addresses is no longer being monitored.
Newsletters and general information are always available on our website.
Thanks for all your help and support,
Best wishes for the New Year.
Peter
